Author: Patricia Almeida

Program of Study: Master of Laws (LLM), Law School

The Jazz Showcase

The Jazz Showcase. (Photo taken by author)

Description: Imagine arriving at the oldest jazz club in Chicago, founded in 1947, and one of the most traditional jazz places in Chicago, the Jazz Showcase, for the “Historic After-Fest Jam Session” event. In this podcast you will know about this unique experience and realize how the jazz connects with people!

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Transcript (provided by author):

Welcome to the ELI’s Finding Chicago Global Perspectives Podcast Series for AEPP 2023. I’m your host, Patrícia Almeida, and I’m currently enrolled in the University of Chicago’s Law School. Today I will talk about the Jazz Showcase’s Historic After-Fest Jam Session, an Unforgettable Night.

On September 3rd, my friends and I decided to go to a jazz club. It was a Sunday night; the weather was great. A perfect summer night, actually.

It was the Labor Day weekend, and the city of Chicago hosted the traditional Chicago Jazz Festival at the Millennium Park. My friends and I had already gone to this festival on Saturday, so on Sunday night we decided to keep listening to jazz, but now in a club.

Unfortunately, almost all the touristic jazz clubs were already full. So, we started looking for any jazz club with seats available and then we found the Jazz Showcase. The website’s calendar indicated there would be an event there that night, the “Historic After-Fest Jam Session”. So, we bought our tickets and headed to the Jazz Showcase club.

I need to confess that, at first, I didn’t know much about this club. It is located in the South Plymouth Court, near the Dearborn Station. Later, I discovered that this street has been renamed in honor of Joe Segal, who was the founder and owner of the Jazz Showcase club.

Anyway, when we arrived there, the street was dark and empty. So, at first, I was afraid that we had chosen a bad place to go. Then I thought, should we even go in or should we go to another place?

After a moment of hesitation, we decided to enter in the bar. Then, when I walked into the Jazz Showcase club, I was shocked! It was not an ordinary club. There was something special about the place. At the entrance of the club, there were many pictures of famous jazz musicians who had played there. The classic decoration and the atmosphere of the club made me feel like I was in the 1950’s. Then, the polite and friendly waitress led us to seat on a comfortable couch with a table in front of us. The menu had traditional drinks, such as martini, negroni and wine. We ordered our drinks and, after the waitress had gone, we looked at each other and said “wow, this seems like a pretty good and traditional club”.

After a while, the musicians started to arrive, coming from the Chicago Jazz Festival. They were so glad to meet each other at the Jazz Showcase! It was as if they were arriving at a friend’s house to meet some old friends. They were old and young musicians, all hosted by the famous Bobby Watson.

After the introduction made by the legendary Bobby Watson, the show began, and it was simply amazing! Those musicians were clearly the most experienced and talented jazz musicians in Chicago and, probably, in the world.

Furthermore, to make it even more especial, they were so happy together!

After the touristic and crowded “Chicago Jazz Festival Day”, they now gathered in this club, which was clearly a familiar place for them.

After a day of intense shows for thousands of people at the Millennium Park, although they felt satisfied with their achievements of the day, at that moment they were relaxed in their favorite spot. It felt like home for them.

After an overwhelming day, they were no longer playing for strangers. They were play for and among friends. They were a jazz family playing together, having fun, and sharing their love for jazz. Imagine how cheerful they were.

I’m pretty sure that my friends and I were the only outsiders there. And how lucky we were.

This stunning and touching experience made me reflect about three things.

First, how lucky we were that night. I’m always amazed about apparent coincidences in life and how these events can change our perspective.

We could never imagined that, after last-minute research, we would end up in the oldest historic jazz club in Chicago, founded in 1947, and one of the most traditional jazz places in the city.

In addition, I think the most incredible part is that we ended up in this legendary club on the very night of the “Historic After-Fest Jam Session”. We were so fortunate! I wonder why life took us to this place that night. I believe one of the reasons is that we should learn about the power of jazz through the best musicians in their moment of joy.

This leads me to the second reflection, which is related to the magnitude, greatness, and power of jazz music. It made me think about the influence of jazz and how jazz music connects with people.

On that night, those brilliant musicians played jazz with so much passion that I felt goosebumps listening to and watching them. On that night, jazz music connected with me in a way that I will never forget. And I believe that these powerful and strong emotions provoked by jazz led to the success of this musical style that has been touching generations for so many years.

Then, my third and last reflection was about the future of jazz and how important it is to ensure that jazz will perpetuate for future generations.

You see, at that event there were young and talented musicians, such as Isaiah Collier and Noah Sherman, playing together with senior, experienced musicians and jazz educators, such as Marlene Rosenberg and Bobby Watson. By the way, Bobby Watson is one of the greatest names in jazz. Therefore, those young musicians were playing jazz with their idols.

However, I still wonder if jazz will continue for generations to come.

Nowadays, young people value fast, short-term and superficial things. Such as Tiktok. So, will young ones still be interested in spending hours listening to a jazz band playing live?

Unfortunately, I think only time will give us the answer, but I really hope that jazz never dies.

Driving to my conclusion, I feel that learning about the Jazz Showcase and its history has been an incredible journey. On that night, jazz touched my heart in a way I will never forget. And I hope that the Jazz Showcase continues to be a booming jazz club in Chicago, bringing in the best and most passionate musicians and connecting people to jazz.

Thank you for listening to my podcast. And if you have never gone to the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, I truly believe you should go as soon as possible, especially for the “Historic After-Fest Jam Session” event.